Full House =)

These past 2 weeks have definitely made up for the crappy weekend I was having on April 14-16. Thank you for all those that inquired about me and were concerned. It was disappointing but we struggle and make it through.

On to the better days (and news):

A) The house is full again (sorta). My new roommates (starting in May) have started moving in and it looks like its gonna be good. They are a great couple that I met through Random Ninjas and i'm expecting much random fun to be had.


B) The house is also full of laughter as my game cube has become the center of family fun. Learning about the mario party series from Brenda, I've since gone and picked up mario party 4-7, all of the series that works for game cube. Almost nightly, we've gone thru and challenged each other to collect as many stars as possible. The best part is even my aunts are getting super involved in the game, as you can probably hear the laughter and yelling throughout the house.


C) Star Wars - Thanks to one of my coworkers, Garland and I got tickets to the California Science Center and checked out Dinosaurs 3D and Star Wars exhibit. It was a really cool event. I saw the cutest thing of some kids dressed as jedi (one as leia) running around the museum courtyard. As one kid fell, I noticed the other one was using a Jedi Force push =p. ok..you just had to be there, but really it was great. The exhibit as interesting and informative..and we also hit up the rest of the Science center. I remember growing up that it was the place were you could see baby chicks being hatched..and now so many years later, I'd come to see it.


D) Return to Tokyo Delves - Very much needing an escape, my friend Joe M's bday at TD was a welcome event. I've been really lucky that i have never had a bad time at TD and this time was no different. It was definitely a great time. Too sober since it was a 6pm show, but they've changed their program and it suits it well (footloose is gone, 80s Revivial now). Garland and I carried most of the weight of partying (oh man..no pun intented...better get back to the gym) and everyone, especially the birthday boy, enjoyed.


Many things to come...
Aunt's bday Sat
Cube to groomers on Sat
Spiderman IMAX and Pirates in May
Vegas in May (likely twice)

Until next time =)

yup..the car is off the ground.


Missing my hunny bunny. May 15 is coming soon.

Its times like these when you realize
how alone we are in the world

New Design

Long needed, but i finally sat down and edited the blog template. Wasn't really how i envisioned it, but until I learn web page design better, it will have to do. I hated how the commenting system i used was very inconsistent, but since I used one of bloggers standard templates, i've tied into their system. Added Karen and Garland to the link list, and took out some non updating links. The new blogger template is pretty straight forward on editing so adding links and updating won't be so painful

Wow - the month of march has been so busy, almost went without posting. There was one time in the past where I went without posting for a month. Weird to think it was also March (of 2003).

Anyways, most of the busy time was due to work. Past few weeks have been working out an auditing task from my boss as well as catching up with project work. Things are slowly starting to sort themselves out at the office as well as home. At home, cleared out the carport area and got the landscaper to come thru on the sprinklers and clean the jungle that was once my backyard. Now that that weather is getting better, hoping to get my own hands dirty, clearing out some growth and planting things. (as well as repainting those end tables).


Karen was gone for most of the month, so Garland and I made a mess of the house, but I definitely cleaned up before her visit for spring break. It was great to have her back. Picked her up from the airport, hung out with the Ventura people, got foot massages from Mandarin only speaking Chinese people (and it was only my hunny who chatted with them), gambled at an Indian Casino, baked a cake =p, dim sum with friends and overall general good times. Saw pics of her new brother and he's just too adorable. (also saw pics of her HOT spring break in miami =p). oooh baby, I sooo love her. *muah*


Spent the later part of this month on two personal projects. One a work project, while the other a toiling personal project. Hopefully both will come together in the end (yes Jerry..hopefully this year).

Attended Anny and Mark's wedding. It was a beautiful ceremony and great location (I had actually been there once with Kelly for her professor's wedding). Was able to visit with many friends I haven't seen in a long time. Glad to see they are alive, but i guess people have just gone about their own ways. I had a great time with good food, alcohol injected strawberries, and sharing in Mark and Ann's love and commitment.


*ok.maybe i didn't want to share =p*
Garland and I are still hitting the gym. Thanks to the movie 300, we just push ourself saying "THIS IS FOR SPARTA". Other than that, glad the cold weather is quickly changing for the warmer weathers of Spring and soon Summer.


Miss you hunny bunny

Wiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii - NOT

The last time i had a gaming system...was my PS1, modded for japanese and CD-R games..i haven't really missed it. I've played some games on the computer (battlefield, sometimes WOW) but again, find that I'm not really much of a "gamer". Sports games or competition stuff are more my style.

Well, the past few times I've had dinner with my cousins (O'Dells and Brenda), we've ended up playing Nintendo Gamecube. First it was Mario Double Dash and Mario Tennis while we were in vegas. It was as much a family sharing event as our game nights where (board games). When we got back, it was Mario Party 8. That game was a lot of fun.

So...i thought about it. Figured, A Wii would be the way to go. Not only would it play newer Wii games, but also was backward compatible for Gamecube. Finding one would be the next issue, but fortunately i was able to try one out at Brenda's. For the most part it was fun. Bowling was great, Tennis seemed a little weird (since you don't "run" to the ball, and Boxing was definitely cardio inducing. I think i want one......but maybe not now. $250 is still pricey (not as much as the $600 PS3), but figured there aren't enough games for wii yet that would warrant me getting one. Ugg..the thought of buying games again would definitely dent the home improvement budget. Then it hit me.

Since wii is out, people must be unloading their gamecubes. That plus even the backward compatible games on the Wii will require gamecube controllers. Well...i jumped back into a wonderful (addicting) world of Ebay and fortunately found something to my liking. For about $100, i picked up a platinum gamecube, wired and a wireless controller, mario double dash, and some Resident Evil games. Not bad i figure. Then i found Mario Party 8 and mic for $46 shipped. I'm going to start checking out GameStop now for some used games, but now Nintendo has joined the PS2 for classic 344 game time =).

As if it was still New Year...actually...(since my last update)

Happy Lunar New Year and Valentines day as well!

Lack of updates because i've actually been pretty busy and just living life. Its only been a month and a half into the new year...but lots going on.

a) Karen is back at school at Smith College. There were some issues with her return (housing and roommates), but now things are going well. Thanks to webcams and the past year plus together, the distance is not as hard as it was year one.

b) My spare room situation is in limbo. The friend that was supposed to come in Dec has not been able to finalize his situation..leaving the room still open. Some other options are coming up, but pretty soon going to hit up craigslist.

c) Spent a week in Houston for work before Karen left. Was hoping she would have been able to come with me, but actually glad she didn't. The weather was horrible and i was stuck indoors the whole time. While it still would have been nice to have her with me, the fact that my family/cousins were going out to dinner with karen, spending time with her, or karen visiting the aunties made me happy to know how much a part of the family she is.

d) Watched Pirate show with the guys and chilled out at bikini tea. Also had a PMX bbq that weekend. Note to self: Singing pirates are totally gay (i believe some of them were) ...and no bbqs in the cold of january. Garland and I did get to break in our heelys.

e) Sushi dinner with Mark. Karen has now fallen in love with Nozawa and his tuna sashimi.

f) Cousin and his wife just gave birth to a son named Kiwi (Keith William Sam 2/7/07).

g) Passing of and aunt-in-law in vegas (2/6/07).

h) Aunt in San Dimas having medical issues. Doing ok now.

i) Parents home in Cerritos just about done with renovation.

j) Got haircut. Normally wouldn't need to announce that..but followed Rico's advice and went with a "5" all around. It was ehh. A lot shorter than i usually care for. It was ok..but not really my style. As it grows out..may try for a faux hawk.



k) Started watching Heroes at Rozelle's place. Its ok...Just haven't caught up in all the hype.

l) Been working out with Garland in the evenings. Thank goodness for 24hour fitness. Usually 30min treadmill, 30min elliptical, then something different each day. Going to start weights soon..but the activity is definitely good.

m) Welcomed the newest member to our family. For Valentine's day, adopted a Pygmy Elephant via a donation to World Wildlife Federation.


The new baby elephant plush is on its way too =)


Upcoming things

a) Garland's bday 2/16.
b) Ghost Rider and Dave and Busters this sat.
c) Karen's bday on Tues 2/20.
d) Clipper game with Clint on Tues as well
e) Bachelor party in Vegas Feb 24

Happy New Years! Welcome 2007!

Ahh..good news, good news. Got moved into my new office and its pretty darn sweet. Once i get everything settled, I'll post pics of it. The full white board is keeping me better organized and on track with things. Looking forward to a great year!

Things were really intense with hosting the family Christmas party this year and then a few days later the NYE event...but overall things went well.

Christmas - Things turned out great. The food was delicious (Prime rib, pork chops, tamales, mash potatoes, trifle) too much to remember since i went into food coma. Unlike some of our Christmas of the past, we were able to eat all together in one room, and i tried to keep the TV viewing to a min (until we had to play A. Bing's new DVD). Everyone was in conversations and overall just enjoying each others company.

NYE - I really worried about this party..maybe not enough. Its was stressful, thinking i had to relive/top the halloween party of 2005. The idea was cool (may use it again sometime), but the timing was just off. Right after xmas and travelling and such, doesn't seem to be a good time for a house party. Regardless, it was a fun evening.


garland's decoration of the game room

Jello Shots 20s Style. Check out the cool threads and the Newsie

Gambling Family Style

The Asian Bonnie and Clyde

New Years Pacardy Style. That game is intense!


oh..almost forgot. Anny..u asked for sparklers..couldn't find it. But did find some of these =)


ooohhh..check out my spats thanks to the strobe light flasher. Man..that was the best part of my night was that costume.

From: Karen and Ray

To our Dearest Friends,

Ray and I would like to send you our warm holiday greetings and wish for you and your family a successful New Year. In this past year we celebrated our two year anniversary of dating and report that we intend on celebrating a third.

The house is coming together in terms of design and decoration, as we started on a few home improvement projects such as the bathroom remodeling, re-piping and putting in window treatments, yet we realize there is still more to be done to modernize the 50-year old home we have. The 344 house changed its occupants as Annette left, and Rando followed after her taking over the spare bedroom. Garland continues to live with us and we continue to enjoy our home-cooked meals and late-night food runs together. Garland has also rekindled our love for PS2, playing Spiderman, Katamari, and Karaoke Revolution.

Ray is still working in I.T.S. network managing with CRA International. The company has expanded its office and fortunately has hired more ITS staff to support Asia-Pacific. Things have been busy but well, as there were even talks of maybe a managerial position in the future. But even more importantly, he's moving out of his 4 year-old cubicle for an office later this week.

I'm returning to the East Coast to finish my degree this coming January, thus ending my sabbatical away from Smith College. Ray and I are both excited and concerned for my move. I am changing my concentration from a double major in Engineering and Psychology to perhaps a double major in Geophysics and Astronomy, yet keeping with my goals of studying Urban Planning & Development.

Much of the year was spent at the wonderful world of Disneyland with our now expired annual passes that we purchased last Christmas. Ray is unhappy with the bump we call his belly, and has decided to add to his 2007 resolution more activity at the gym. I see it as more to love. We didn't leave the state much. We found day trips to Camarillo, San Jose, Fresno, the OC, and San Diego to visit friends and family were much more enjoyable. On other days, Ray appreciates my piano practicing, playing tennis together, spending time with our family and friends, and general pimpin'.

Ray wants me with to end with a quote from Aladdin, "Beeee yourself," however, I've learned you can't listen to Ray all the time. =p In the great words of the lyric genius and writer, P.G. Wodehouse, "As we grow older and realize more clearly the limitations of human happiness, we come to see that the only real and abiding pleasure in life is to give pleasure to other people." Happy Holidays.



With Love,
Karen Ngo & Raymond Warriner

-Peek a boo-

Can't say i was really inspired to write, but wanted to let people know that I'm still alive. Guess best to start with a recap.

a) Sam's bday - It was fun...with more highlights than just the beef =p. Unfortunately at "big" events I feel we tend to worry more on making sure things go ok, rather than just sitting back and enjoying it. Got to see a number of family members and friends which was nice. My original hope of having samantha do a "crowd surf" during Karen and my song actually became more of a messy mosh-ish pit that really didn't come out well at all. All in all, happy to be there and glad Sam had a good time.

b) PMX - The convention went well. As much as i expected, things were fun but definitely stressful. I've been broadcasted to japan wearing Jerry's shirt (thanks Jerry =p) for the OLIVIA Nana costume panel and didn't see the green fairy. Spending time with Ohana was great, but realized more how my position tends to pull me away from the fun with the family. Great times at Curry House and Beard papas. Great possibilities for Random Ninjas but unfortunately ended my weekend with a traffic ticket ugg.

c) Alfred's bday - Oh man...what more to say than "I LOVE YOU MAN." Great time with family again and lucky to have such a great cousin.

d) Medieval Times - Go Red Knight. Catching up with Justin and Mel was a lot of fun. Feeling like your car dies everytime you stop (Mel's new Civic Hybrid) and wrapping up the weekend with Versailles Chicken (yum yum). Happy Birthday Mel and Justin is STILL way cooler than you. =p

e) Disneyland - Kristine's last time this year and got to see snow. Went back next day for pics at the castle and other places. Saw Aladdin with a different Jafar (ick)..but as always the genie saves the show.

f) David's going away - Hung out with the Ventura crew in Orange county for David's farewell. Not very far since he'll be in fullerton. Originally planned on dinner with Anny, but she wasn't feeling too well (get better soon). Dinner was fun, Borat (again), and chilling out at Tea station.

Gone till November
-Wyclef Jean


PMX is about 24 days away and things are quickly ramping up. We've announced our last GoHs and final preparations are in place. I'm looking forward to it...sorta. It has definitely been..well..yeah. I'm happy to be working with such a great set of people. Actual execution of things as opposed to talking about is gonna take a lot more work, but the experience has been fun.

I'd have to say my glory days of convention working were team SDF back in AX2001?. Since jumping into the "leadership" roles..its just more stressful and time consuming (sometimes welcomed, othertimes not). All my years with the VAC/Ohana family at AX were great (except 2004 when it wasn't with the full family). When i came back for 2006, it was ok. Fun cuz it was 344..but just being there wasn't the same. Lot of nice people still in AX...and some skeletons there too. I went to the staff dinner and felt pretty much...sad. This event had always been about the family...and they weren't there anymore.

Anyways, convention life has taken quite a lot out of me. July 4th BBQs and many weekends (the repeat of the kick ass Halloween party =/ ). My joy is in hanging out with friends, so for all those that have wondered where i have gone, please bear with me. I plan on making up for lost time after Halloween.

Maybe i just need to write it all down again...

Yo. Been crazy busy the last month and unfortunately getting overwhelmed to the point of wanting to just.....blahhh. I'm not one to give up so easy..so i'm just gonna kick back for a bit and just unload here in the blog.

The exchange class was cool. It was nice to actually sit up, interact, and learn something again. The hour long traffic drives were no picnic..but it actually wasnt' that bad. The pace of the class was good..from basic stuff to unique things. I'm still more of a self study type..but i think i just need that motivation to learn again. Unfortunately, now i'm getting some flack about what i "should have" learned from my boss. =/

PMX stuff was getting frustrating for me..since i was in a weird place. Last year as music, I was in charge of everything since there really wasn't much to my staff. Coordinating, contacting, tech...I at least knew what was going on. In programming, i've got sorta figurehead feeling, since i had a pre-exisiting staff and they were pretty good at what they were doing. Left me with not much to do. That and general frustration at all the talk without the action, and too many hoops.

A lot of that (PMX stuff) has settled away and i find myself better utilized in scheduling stuff. Getting some cool titles for the video rooms, so feeling better about things. Reg is finally up, though i worry it may be too late. Either way, i'll be glad when the event finally comes and passes. I'm looking forward to having fun...but i'll keep thinking about losing my Halloween house party (Martin stole it =p, but i'm looking to take it back next year). Feel distraught about missing out on hanging out with friends events (bdays, housewarmings, etc), so hoping to make up time after PMX/Halloween.

My parent's house is being torn apart. The renovation that would never happen...is finally happening. Unfortunately, most of us still don't know what exactly its going to look like. Been helping out to move things, and even spent the afternoon in the attic without a roof, but nice, quality time with family (albeit holding a 20ft ladder, planted on the back of a truck that is parked on an incline, is not that best way to spend time with your dad =p). Plus, cube looks pretty GQ in his new old navy polo.


Made it to the school carnival this past weekend. It was nice to see the changes and how the festival has grown. Had a burger and spent some time with my other mom (carol) and the new principal. It was a nice breath, taking me away from my everyday stresses. I had to go back and work on their network, but that afternoon was just nice, strolling in the sun.

Anyways..i ramble. I need to cut down my internet time and work more. Maybe i'll update this post (or add another) when i get some time.

Other things on my mind (for future blog)

a) Copper Repiping the house (man..i wish i could plant a money tree..cuz the house is a money pit)
b) still looking for roommate
c) Rando back in Cali..Kings game and Roscoe's afterwards was fun.
d) Once the repiping gets done, i can work on the lawn.
e) need to find fixtures.

Also
Happy Bday Ed, Kim, Al, princess kelly - miss ya, Maureen, Bonnie, Carlo, Bern and soon miko.
Was supposed to make it to vegas eventually, but guess that won't happen till Nov.

Sit up straight...
-mom

Who knew posture could make such a difference? Sitting on my a$$ all day tends to leave me in a slouched, "relaxed" position with definitely lets it all hang loose. Trying to keep the posture (and thereby appearance) straight as well as a couple other things, like not eating past 8 (except ice cream or cereal). Spending the time at 5r (with family) and 24hour fitness (with Alfred) has been pretty good. In fact, the link below was care of swim time with Alfred.

Need to slow down a bit. Been too busy that i had to cancel on my idea of going to Vegas with Alf and Brenda this weekend. Probably gonna head out end of Sept instead for Miko's bday. Either way, feeling a bit stretched out. Going to put in for vacation time with the office just to take a time out.

I am really proud though that I'm almost done with the St. Bernards website. Its my first web creation. (i'll link you after its done). In fact, they've been so great about everything. Karen is selling raffle tickets if you are interested. Cash Prizes =). Looking forward to going to it.

Well..this crazy week is almost over. Even with only 4 workdays, its been dragging. This weekend i'll be doing a housecall, possibly FPAC, pmx meeting? and maybe even Bday clubbing. Next week I'll be in training. Ugg..early mornings and trekking to El Segundo/LAX. I'm really gonna hate that traffic.

So..till next time.

Team Tiger AWESOME - 28 day slater (this was too funny). I think episode 2 is the best mama.

My Body is a Temple...
..unfortunately..the careperson is slacking off.

I think i've stabilized my weight..sitting ugly at about 190. According to Fitday puts me in the moderately overweight category. Been doing the 5r thing (skipping out the past few days due to injury), but not sure how much that is working. I'm not going to be drastic like my cousin and cut out rice (maybe cut down actually), but definately need to focus more.

I think my goal will also be about 20lbs. Puts me in the healthy weight category. Starting on Garland's Ab-lounge as well.

The bedroom has been reorganized. Thanks to Karen's idea, looks like a lot more room. Going to start focusing on doing more renovations and such. Garland cleared a good portion of the living room last nite, so may start looking for living room furniture soon. After that, may do some gatherings again...more relaxing themed like a wine/cheese nite.

September is here and PMX has made some major announcements for the Con. Music looks like fun and I'm glad Dig Jelly and especially Random Ninjas will be back. I'm pretty excited about it. Its been a long overdue, but seems like all the pieces are starting to fall into place now.

Been meaning to get out more and socialize, but finding it just more relaxing being at home with Karen and the babies (as seen in the radio flyer pic). Sad to think that Karen will be heading back to Massachusettes in January. Definately need to visit Disneyland more before it expires.

As far as socializing goes, been sucked into the World of Warcraft =p. Playing primarily with Ohana peeps and definately fun. Lot to learn about it, but i will definately take it in moderation as i've got enough on my plate.

Anyways..off to the gym. Have a good labor day weekend.

If i wasn't a celebrity...
-NSYNC

eh..had some time to post so figured i would. Minor updates.
a) weigh yourself in the morning. Its more accurate (samantha says) and since its usually less..u'll feel better. =)
b) thanks to the inspiration of my lil bear roland, I think i've conquered my fear of building websites. now just need to complete it.
c) switched to stop drinking sodas and such. Right now, mostly tea, gatoraid or water
d) although its almost a year...i have not really held thru to my "no drinking for a year" pledge. I realize its more a matter of self control than anything else, and we're all allowed to cut loose every once and a while. I'll admit there have not been any events like 30bday or halloween 2005. I'll need to plan for something, since it looks like Halloween2006 may not be at my place. Take home lesson - all in moderation.
e) need to get out more and find some adventures. Our 344 ventures still revolve around food runs (last nite-7/11), but nothing outrageous as of late.
f) tackled a big box of junk in my server room and about to make it over IKEA style.
g) Karen came up with some great ideas for the living room and bedroom, so hopefully i'll get to do some remodling and furniture buying soon.
h) once the rooms are presentable again, then i'll probably throw a dinner party or something.
g) picked this up online. Although i've don't really admit it..and somewhat irritated by, here it is: the Ross Geller connection.





here are the two i had to look up
Karolina Kurkova - supermodel (VS, Prada)
William Moseley - actor (chronicals of narnia)

the "matches" were pretty much based on the angle of your face in the pic, so i wouldn't hold much to it. I do have to say the David Schwimmer one has come up often enough. Course even in FRIENDS, i'd have to say i probably related to him the most. (*sigh* on the lobster/prom episode)

No posts...mainly because been keeping busy.

Trying to keep up with my personal resolutions..but for the most part things are going well.

I'd really have to do an update post to do it all justice, but here's a working list for you (or just for myself).

a) Rico's bday, but havent' gotten to see him yet. Hopefully this weekend.
b) My princess Kelly is in the boonies..but not before Garland and I made a run with her thru the garlic festival of Gilroy.
c) Happy Bday to Rozelle, Will and soon Dad.
d) More bdays for Jack, Aaron, Bren and Issac.
e) PMX music doing well, programming (me) on the lacking side.
f) Pushing the limits on my clothes, really need to lose weight for health and wardrobe sake.
g) Joined 5R, the Korean exercise machine. Working for my cousin, so now it has become a family event. Nothing hotter than Karen shaking her ass. (or the smile when she hula hoops)
h) Andy leaving next week for Ohio.
i) Cousin in Philly and now expecting his first child.
j) Karen and I are doing well...really well =).
k) Getting a bike and walking with the radio flyer
l) Seeing the Random Ninjas in Little Tokyo and feeling the love
m) Hanging out with Mark Barrios again. NOZAWA =)
n) Ventura County fair with Ohana. Waiting for Zoot Suit Riot, to only get told my sis that Big Bad Voodoo Daddies didnt' sing it. BBVD was great though..as well as the gravitron and the weird finish on the slides.
-negative - no deep fried twinkie/oreo.
o) Robinson-May closing - Got me some nice shoes and a deep fryer. (sad i remember when it was just May company and Robinsons)
p) Front room getting cleared, so hopefully some new furniture soon
q) Found way to get rid of bulky items
r) Checked out Bren and Ed's place in Ventura
s) Verizon nightmare at the school. But now its up at 3MB DSL
t) Bacalli with Law and Order
u) Karen's cooking
v) Cube has flies =( Need to improve his situation. Better after vet though.
w) Zencu sushi and learning the Gelacio's new language
x) Chester's Chinese with Jerry
y) Trying to check email only 3 times each day and getting more done in the office
z) need to write down new goals and get to it.


yeah..about halfway thru thought..hey..maybe i can make it up to Z to finish the alphabet of updating. Anyways..back to work. Stay tuned for more updates.

stagnating

Yeah..feeling it again. Odd to say when i'm always busy doing something...but as of late feeling like i'm being left behind. I need to catch up. Skills need improvement and updating. New thoughts, new ideas. Set goals and follow-thru.

rambling of sorts, but this is what gets my motor running.

As far as updates (sorry for lack of them),

Anime Expo was July 4th weekend. The event itself for Live Programming went pretty good. Not sure of my take on how it is now or where it is heading. Either way, going to keep my options open. I think my highlight of the weekend was the Robot rumble panel and all nite arcade.

Interfacing more with the school project, since i've basically been handed control of it. Doing some significant improvements and finding them money in different places (if you are a wamu customer and don't have a school for wamoola, please choose St. Bernards in Bellflower, Ca to help out)

PMX stuff is in gear..and looking forward to October. Been spending a lot of time with PMX peeps and catching up on movies (Pirates, Superman).

anyways, 'nuff talking. time to do things.

WORLD CHAMPIONS

Good Nite Michelle. (this one is for Brenda)



The illest Mofo in a cardigan sweater. hahah..too great. Just as good as Chappelle's Wayne Brady




Its summer...its hot...and YEAH!!! go Miami Heat!

Happy Father's day

yeah..i know its early...but this isn't really for my father either. (i'll have to think of something for when he comes back from hawaii)

This past weekend, i decided to be a "handy man" and do some more house related work. I've only done minor work, but this would be a more complicated task. The garbage disposal always "sounded" like it was working, but never seemed to work right. So saturday i ended up taking it out and apart to figure out what was wrong. Smelly was an understatement, as Karen surrounded me with various scented candles in the kitchen to combat the stench.
I didn't want this to get too complicated, and was hoping to just fix the current disposal, as i wasn't looking into spending more money i didn't have. well, after taking it apart, came to the realization the current one was not going to get fixed (plate harness was rusted out). The next day, i went to lowes and picked up a replacement unit. The part i worried about the most was connecting the electrical stuff. I actually handled that pretty well, but what i didn't expect was to have to go through and repipe the whole thing and as well as the difficulty in taking out the years old rusted parts. Thanks to alfred and my aunt's angle grinder, we were able to get it done.

before



After




I have to say, i would usually "run" to my dad to get help with house related tasks, but this experience proved to me that i was ready to handle these things on my own as well. Course, working around the house with Dad is always fun too.

In other news,
here is HG's father's day wishes. If you dont' know who Haado Gei is, you're in for a treat (maybe).


Also found this musician and had to order her album. Looking forward to listening to the instramental version of Linkin Park. Never thought classical music could be so hot =p (check the video)

Myleene Klass

Nite out on the town with Brenda and Alfred as well as some my drift car pic can be found on karen's xanga.


wow..lots of updates. Glad to look as if many things are going on in my life. Plus summer is here and the Miami Heat have evened the series!!! Yippeee

Recap Post
lots going on...so just gonna list whats been going on since the last update post on May 24.

Lasik - Jerry gets lasik and Karen takes care of him after the operation. Great dinner afterwards with Jerry in his Star Wars sunglasses.

AX Picnic - Ended up going to picnic alone and it was bittersweet. Thought it would be nice to come back and enjoy just hanging out with people, but came to realize there was no one there that i really wanted to hang with. People still had ego problems and everyone stayed in their lil cliques. Well, least the experience reminded me of why i do this stuff...mainly hanging out with friends. Sad to see you AX friends are no longer there.

FanimeCon - Right after the picnic i went to pick up Karen and Jerry for the drive to San Jose. My bro and sister are the chairs this year and i really wanted to go up and support them. Unfortunately, Jerry wasn't feeling up to the drive anymore as he wanted to just rest and recover...but our 6+ hour drive started. It may have been the last ride for my 91 civic, but she still drove like a dream. Even though there was a detour, we made it in time for MusicFEST. I was really impressed just seeing all the people as we searched for parking. The music was cool and it was nice to just relax and see donny again. The next day we walked through the con and ended up watching "Il Mare". I only got to catch samantha for a few minutes, but overall the weekend was good. We decided to avoid traffic and head back early, making it in timc for Mila's congratulation lunch.

Yard work - the past few weeks i've spent days cleaning up the yard. Much of it looking like a fire hazard, i've finally cleared out the front and middle lawns. Still debating on artificial lawn or replanting, but eventually gonna get it done.

Kelly going away - Unfortunately my princess is leaving california to head to grad school in Memphis. Before she goes away, 344 has joined her in a number of "you can't get this in Memphis" events. Morning Dim Sum and late nites at Pinks, i'm definately gonna miss her =(. Guess we'll have to look into trips to Graceland. Is there anything worthwhile to see in Tennessee?

Fast and Furious premiere - 344 were the press team for "The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift" press junket at Universal studios this past sunday. Albeit an 9am start, Garland got to interview Justin Lin the director and both he and I got to ride in a drift car for the demonstration (dodge Viper). Free food and universal tickets were also part of the package, so we were able to also premiere the new Tokyo Drift portion of the tram ride (as well as return visit to Wisteria lane and the psycho house). The red carpet was fun as we saw a number of start Perry Shen, Roger Fan, Hammer, Bow Wow, John Cho, and many others. I even got to catch up again with Kaila Yu and finally got Aiko Tanaka to approve my myspace request =p. Painfully hot but hey, we're syndicated =p. J-Ent Podcast. We'll get to watch it this wednesday before it opens.

Radio Flyer - The timeless reminder of childhood and innocence, I bought a radio flyer wagon for Karen and I. Hard to believe we've been together for almost 2 years now. Its had its ups and downs, but we've made it through. I love you hunny.


The babies

Changes

I've been looking for ways to optimize my internet experience and wanted to get some opinions (not that i've gotten many comments in the past..but here goes).

As much as i realize i check my email frequently, I can't say i've been too happy with MSN/Hotmail (page is starting to lag). The new microsoft live hotmail is just like outlook so i'm really familiar with it and love the preview option. Also looking into RSS feeds. So here are my options and opinions.

Debating home page/email

MSN/Hotmail
+ been with hotmail forever. personal and "business" emails are there
+ comfortable with MSN front page for new and interesting content (usually)
- MSN Page is really lagging lately
- Layout gets boring when you check it frequently
/ haven't emailed much out of email accounts, so a change is possible.
- no search feature in hotmail

Yahoo/YahooMail
+ Number 1 website. Definite relability (as well as target)
+ Yahoo Mail is 2gb+ with (++)folder options.
+ already use yahoo groups options, TV, music videos.
+ fresh new layout
+ myYahoo has Rss feed integration.
- no preview option in email
- Never felt @yahoo would be really considered "professional". guess @hotmail seemed a lil bit better.
/ had used geocities off yahoo as well. But not active on it.
+ swwweet yahoo mail notifier

Google/Gmail
+ innovative and constantly creating new technology and services. Reliability again as well as target.
+ largest and most used search engine
+ gmail storage is constantly increasing
+ shared calendar and gtalk with IM service is interesting.
- don't really like the gmail interface or threading of emails.

Reviewing, i am sorta leaning towards yahoo. I think that google would be a good step forward as they are constantly improving their stuff, but yahoo seems to meet most of my needs. Anways, if you have any thoughts on it..let me know. Otherwise you may get an email soon saying its changed =p.

yeah..i'm alive.

Things have been ok. I kinda hate saying that cus although its true, makes my life seem to be more or less boring. Thats hardly the case, but i will admit it seems to be lacking a bit more excitement. So working to change things, but for right now, here's a minor update.

Vegas was great! - More of a family like event. Nothing crazy and mostly catching shows. Was able to see KA, V, X, and Fantasy. Kinda mix bag of family and "adult" oriented shows. The adult shows really wasn't really all that. If i wanted TnA, i would have hit a strip club. Overall though it was a great weekend with the ohanna group. (unfortunately missed seeing my princess kelly)

My bday/Mother's day - Yeah..it happens every so often, but again this year my bday was trumped by mother's day. I'm thankful for the people that remembered and tried to plan something. Basically just wanted to enjoy a day at the beach and eat fresh crab (at Redondo Beach), so rather than doing it on sat, we decided to combine it with mother's day festivities. Fortunately my mom made it back from SJ in time, and my cousins and I treated my mom and aunts to a day at the beach. Not much of a bday waiting in line and traffic for food...but thankful for family.

Tony's going away - One nite we all just came together to chill with Tony before he headed out to Vegas. It was casino nite, of craps and texas hold'em. Good preparation before he goes for his test in Vegas. Gonna miss him at cousin dinners.

Return of the Kuya - well..my biggest surprise this month was the call from my own Kuya..kuya zandy. He's one of my "pair" cousins, being older than me by exactly 1 month. Well he gave me a call to wish me a belated bday. Rather random since he hardly/never does that, but great thing since i learned that he has immigrated back to the US. His wife is a nurse and recently transferred to Philly. Now he's back and looking to visit soon california. He asked me to come out to Philly, but we'll have to see if i can pull that one off.

Anyways..much in the works..as well as general house stuff.
Spent a whole day actually cleaning up my yard and getting in "tune" wth my garden. Now have to decide how to landscape it.

Also need to increase the physical activity level. Even so starting to look into diet plans.

3 days till vegas...

and i'm actually getting really excited about it now. Bought myself a ticket to KA and looking forward to just hanging out with everyone. Updated my wishlist if anyone is actually thinking of getting me something, but for the most part..things are just looking good overall. Just need to pack tonite and get things together.

VEGAS VEGAS VEGAS.

actually more like..


YEAH WEEKEND FUN! (i'd prob have fun with the same people anywhere we'd go)

wishlist

Welcome May...

its been a busy month, but things are starting to look really good.

The trip to boston was great and OMG..i still can't stop thinking about the food (the lobster). My bosses were pretty happy with me and they are even thinking of me for the DC office. Not sure if i want to make that move.=/ I'm pretty satisfied with where i am now, just need to motivate myself to do better and improve my skills.

On that note, i also just need to just finish things. I had been spinning my wheels trying to learn dreamweaver, photoshop and all other programs to "update" my website while Karen went out found a myspace skin and set up my whole myspace account in a day. It looks great =). All my unfinished projects (the website, the house, the lawn, my room) some legitiamately waiting for things, while others just a thorn in my side.
(note: I started this post on april 29.ugg)

As far as the no drinking thing, even with the opportunity/excuse to go "wild" with coworkers in boston (originally indicated as one of my drinking exceptions) i found i didn't have a sit. I think getting older is making me turn in my crazed nites of shots and hard liquor to more relaxing evenings of sipping martinis. Even with my bday coming up, not planning anything crazy (or anything at all really). Course the borg sphere at Vegas this weekend will likely make up for it all.

As far as actually completing stuff, just recovering today from a major stomach ache this weekend. It may have been the kalbi hot dog (that i think was out too long) or the 8 snickers poppers that i had on the ride home, but needless to say all day Sunday was spent in a psuedo hang over. So today i cleaned up the kitchen and bathroom as well as making plans for various house renovations. On that note, also completed the refinancing of the house, to hopefully make the house more affordable especially with rising interest rates.

Other great news, Karen is walking without the crutches again (since her sprain a few weeks ago) and i love my family. Just spending time with my cousin who just came to the US from the Philippines, my aunt's bday, and just the overall family. Mila has gotten a nursing job and Kristine just passed her drivers test. =) I'm also happy that the ohana family is also coming together again, as we had a great bbq and poker nite this weekend.

I'm back!...and back to work =(

Will post soon. Until then, here is the myspacey link.

www.myspace.com/raywarriner

realizations

*Transcribed from paper composed while sitting at chili's (Boston) for dinner.

So Boston, here i am. After 3.5yrs working for my company and many years of childhood wonderment, i have finally made it to Boston. Did you know that I almost went to school here and even almost moved here due to my father's work. This place is practically my father's second home ,being that most of my childhood i heard he was always away "in Boston". His travel sparked my interest in the Boston Tea Party as well as much of Revolutionary history. So...to be here has been somewhat a joy, but mostly it has given me a number of realizations. (some trivial, most meaningful)

*Home is where the heart is. I'm missing Karen, my family, and my friends.
*Boston is a walking state. After a quick tour of the city speedwalking with my boss, my legs were cramped and tired.
*I'm fat. Besides my obvious bulge *sigh*, my director's first words to me were "you've gained weight." That plus similar comments from coworkers, my obvious pain from the walk (above), the fact that i actually fit in size 34waist pants, instead of getting it for extra room in the crotch -> all point to the fact that I'm out of shape.
*I love Karen. If circumstances were right, I'd be married to her and we would never have to leave each other.
*Boston is a beautiful city and yes the food is terrific. Even the Chili's is great (maybe cuz i ordered the shrimp).
*Even surrounded by all this history, i realize all cities are pretty much the same. Tokyo, Boston, LA, SF, New Orleans. We're all just people trying to live day to day (just under different weather conditions).
*I eat slow. Also I hate eating alone.
*(c/o Martin) You never know who you'll meet when you talk to a stranger. . I'll talk more about this in a later post.
*I've been told I have great penmenship skills for an IT guy.
*My life can be considered boring, but I'm happy with it.
*The Westin Copley Place's wake up call policy is that they call you once...and if you don't pick up...leave u a message and call security to come to your door to wake you up. Crazy...and i was still late to work.
*I'm in a "high-class" hotel, but the rooms are crap and only the candles in the lobby are cool.
*Did i mention that I LOVE KAREN...oh yeah...i did. But worth mentioning again.
*Red Sox Nation: Boston loves their Red Sox. Its like Raider Nation but its the whole state.
*I work with great people in Boston, but i'm happy with my set up in Pasadena.
*Food can make me sick (but there is always room for ice cream).
*I find it difficult at times to grasp the obvious. Many times i feel really stupid. I do feel that i can sympathize better than most people (terrible with facts, easier with feelings).
*There is no place like home. There is no place like home.
*I can't finish a molten lava cake on my own (wish someone was here to share).

I could go on..but my stomach ache from the lava cake is forcing me to go home and take a nap. Should be an exciting end of the week.

Wed - Duck tour and Sushi with the bosses
Thur - Red Sox game at Fenway
Sat - Historic tour of Lincoln with Dad.

Resistance is futile - All your base are belong to us



I've tried to fight it for sometime now...but seems like i can't compete.=p

1) Since i have recently "won" an Ipod Nano (thanks to my friends), my battle against using Itunes or apple products has gotten a severe setback. I never cared for the idea of using proprietary software, thereby forcing you to use it in order to use the product...but yeah...the nano would definately help keep me motivated at the gym. I just need to see if i can upgrade it to a 4gb version, since i already have a 1gb mp3 player. That being said, i've also been toying with the idea of a macpro or just an intel mac mini. Since i'm into networking, being able to play with the software would definately be helpful. Thing is, i've always felt the apple put out better products, its just that they aren't economical for most businesses.

2) Ugg..myspace. Its crazy to believe how much of a phenomenon this network has become. Actually scary to hear people at Ralphs taking camera pictures and saying "OMG, that is going on my Myspace." Anyways, i already have a friendster profile i hardly update and never liked the crappy coding of myspace (leaving u wide open for exploits)....but...after PMX last year and learning about many of the bands there, been thinking about using it to keep up with their performances. That and karen's push for me to get one or she'll make me one, i guess i'll have to extend my online presence to Myspace. (Who knows, it could look like Melwould =p)

3) Not drinking for a year. - Honestly, i've been keeping that one pretty well. I indicated that i would have a couple exceptions (which i never stated what they would be) but seems i can pretty much toss that resolution out the window as well. Orginally, only planned on breaking the vow for the following reasons.
a) Karen and Garland's Bday (past) - drank 1 JD wine cooler. Pretty tame.
b) My bday (maybe)
c) If i ever go to Boston with my coworkers (since that hardly ever/never happens, figured i'd break the rule if i get out there).

well..guess what.

Bday plans
- Vegas May 5-7. Very likely drinking then, including the all important Warp Core Breach at the Hilton.
- Possible BBQ or something (hopefully not to the level of Tokyo Delves last year).


And even more unbelieveable, I'm finally going to Boston. One of my coworkers has left and they needed someone for coverage at the corporate office. I'll be out there April 10-15, and thinking of extending it a bit to visit more of the area. Been needing a vacation, so extending this work travel could give me some time off in historical town i only know from my dad's traveling gifts.

So..overall...not too bad. ;).
I'll let you know the myspace info and other stuff when i figure it out.

You put your right foot in, you take your right foot out
you put your right foot in, and you shake it all about....
Yup...you do the hokey pokey and you turn yourself around. Thats what its all about =p.

Recent events have reminded me about the simple pleasures in life. We start off with the 344 sleepover. With Garland and Karen's birthdays being both in the month of February and my current obsession with creative themed events, we decided that we'd bring it back to the days of the slumber party. Now granted, we didn't actually think that people were gonna sleep over, so that turned out to be a fun bonus. Sushi platters and hawaiian bread sandwiches were served with much alcohol for the birthday babies. It was a nice intimate gathering, where we played Dirty Minds, Twister, Karaoke revolution and fell asleep watching the shogun of harlem (Barry Gordy's The Last Dragon). The next morning we followed up with sum yum yum dim sum and capped a great weekend.

Recently, i went to help out a friend cable his network at work. While the job to do was typical, it was the company of friends that made the day memoriable. The highlight of the evening, the cut throat game of monopoly. We played speed rules, but with that the tensions ran high. I don't think in all my years of playing, i've had as much fun as i did that nite. I also discovered Rasberry tea latte at Coffee Bean that nite. That was an additional plus.

In the day to day world, i get caught up in a lot of things. Work, finances, stress..sometimes it drives me out of my mind. I don't like to get surprised by things. I plan things out, make preparations, be ready for the inevitable....(holding breath)..
so yeah...its really nice to be able to just step back some times and let things happen. These recent events...reminding me of times long ago...when it was ok to run out in the sprinklers in my swimtrunks. (and honestly, i would probably still do that today).

thanks.
You are all BEAUTIFUL.

Happy Marti Gras (shout out to the hand grenade crew of 2002)

ooh..i thought groundhog day had past. Well..can't say i've been living in a hole but definately very busy. So to recap on that previous list.

- Finished 5 people you meet in Heaven and also Batman HUSH. Now looking for any other cool graphic novel stories.
- Got the girl scout cookies.
- Car is working ok now
- Some touch up remodeling this weekend
- Successful PJ party for Garland and Karen this past weekend (pics in future post)

- As for this post, the major bathroom reconstruction that took over my life for about 6 days.

We start off with what was formerly known as the "pink bathroom"


The house, built in 1951, the bathroom was made with custom styled components and its galvanized steel piping made it very difficult to simply change the faucets and such. We delt with it enough the past year of ownership, but a leaky shower faucet finally took the cake. It had to get a makeover. So..thanks to my friend's referral, the rennovation began.
It was 7am mornings for a good 6 days (off on Sun) and in that time i learned i can do soooo much (if i actually wake up in the morning). One day i actually got woken out of bed, headed to Lowe's, Home Depot, bought a bathtub, cabinets, drywall, piping components, a bag of oranges and even Jack in the box before 10am.
By the end of the middle of the first day, the whole bathroom had already been torn out.



To summarize what was done, we moved the door over, installed a whirlpool tub, retiled the floor and tiled around the shower to the ceiling. New toliet that my contractor gave me and my special request of a vessel sink was installed.




The event was not complete until we saw the end of the pink toliet.


Some minor work still to do...like install a mirror, towel bars, etc, but for the most part its done.

Recap

I had started a long-winded post here..(as you know i can be long-winded), but decided to opt for a bullet point recap. Busy needless to say.

Good things
- Dinner and a movie nites (sometimes with guests, otherwise just 344)
- Karen's cooking (honey glaze salmon)
- Linda's cooking (Karen's cousin - steak round and chicken over string beans)
- Lucy's company (Karen's cousin)
- Happy bday Lucy (2/10)
- 344 Converse Chuck Taylor purchase (with Lucy)
- LMU Japanese Culture nite.
- My very own Random Ninjas t-shirt
- Samantha and Mila's visit during wed dinner
- New KVM for home workstation
- Superbowl and Rosemead going away party. Game was ok. Company better.
- 344 at Chinatown New Years dinner.
- Garland's family (niece and nephews)
- Interest in Apple Mac purchase (mini-mac?)
- Bought Batman HUSH trade paperbacks
- Almost done with "5 people you meet in Heaven"
- Opened online savings account with high interest rate
- Made a list on Tues nite, got most of it done by Wed afternoon
- Underworld evolution with Alfred
- Late nite phone calls with Rozelle
- Girl Scout cookies with Brenda and Vivian.
- 344 Pastrami chili cheese fries from the hat
- Seeing dogs that looks like cube, missing him but knowing he is very loved by my sister.
- PJ party. Theme party ideas in general

To work on (stress)
- House Refinance
(which requires to...)
- House renovations
(due to...)
- Crappy plumbing
(broken faucet in bathroom 2, leaking bathtub faucet in bathroom 1)
- Car wheezing (likely Timing belt)
- Landscaping the yard
- Furniture for room
- Changing to hardwood floors
- Pulling cable to rooms
- Making quality time with Karen in all this madness
- Money i don't have

Upcoming events
- Valentine's Day
- Garland Bday
- Karen Bday
- Dad's graduation
- Auntie Bing's bday
- Family from PI coming over.
- MPK latern festival (this weekend)
- Galkos visit about windows (this weekend)
- Jose visit about bathroom 1 faucet (this weekend)
- Karim visit about house renovation (this weekend)
- Contractor visit about home improvement (this weekend)
- Glendale Centenial (next weekend)
- PMX meeting (this weekend)

-whew-
yeah..this would have never made a post. I'm just glad i could dump it out here...and now i'll have to take care of what i can.

Cleaning up


getting irrated with one project at work while going stir crazy on a different one, i decided to do the best thing to solve my problems: procrastinate by cleaning. I'm not sure where it started, definately did it in college before finals, but when i feel i can't do anything....i clean.

I wish i could be at home and clear out a lot of the mess. On the positive side, i have actually finished replacing the blinds in my room with curtains and am currently working on the living room. The christmas decorations have been taken down and neatly put away in the garage with the halloween stuff. There is still stuff all over the place...but again...so i clean.

At work, i'm clearing out the server room and trying to solve problems here and there. Got really frustrated today with all my IE windows open and multiple chat window, so wished for something..and it came true. Finally migrated myself to Firefox after i saw the cool tab feature on karen's machine. As far as AIM, definately download triton. (but hunt down the aim ad-hack version). It allows you to have multiple chats in one window, and you just tab to the "live" one. It looks somewhat like trillian. So was pretty happy about that.

As far as personal goals...ugg. Still looking at calories and cutting down. Never would have believed..but now i'm drinking diet drinks. Hit the gym a couple times, but stopped the routine for family dinners and outtings. I really should just get my ass up in the morning so nothing will conflict. I need to rework my room. I would love to wake up to the sunshine, but i don't think my room is set up for that.

Other than that, things are good. Good dinners and sharing times with family. Quiet nites watching movies (current and foreign) in the living room. Last nite in fact, we had our first full 344 movie nite when annette came home early and we all watched Naked Weapon. Ok..so it was a cheesy Hong Kong "B" movie, but it actually was perfect for the evening.

PS
Girl Scout cookie season is upon us. Tell me if you want to order. Thin mints and Samoas. Yum

Calories and Belt Buckles


Since this new year, i've started checking the amount of calories in the various things i've been consuming. Can't say i've been much of a stickler about it, but just making mental notes. It has actually help me cut down a lot on my intake. Someone told me that the average intake should be about 2000, so i used that as my baseline.

140 for oatmeal breakfast (hated it growing up..but now great with apple/cinnimon flavor), V8 juice at 80, chicken-something here and there, and cutting down on the late nite eating. Can you believe that the 150 calories in a can of soda took me 15 minutes on a treadmill to burn off? Well, needless to say, I've actually stopped drinking soda (in addition to the alky). Hit the gym for the first time this year yesterday, tennis with coworkers tonite, and infrequent home exercises as well. Trying to eat less fast food and instead finding something a bit more healthy to eat. We'll just have to see how that goes. (don't worry, late nite ice cream still there occasionally. Just a small scoop)

So...watching over my waist, i realize my newest obsession. For the Halloween party, I opted and got a Name belt buckle. It was cool, but unlikely i'd wear it that often. Well, while shopping one day, I saw this cool chrome superman emblem/belt buckle at Hot topic. Right next to it, batman. Needless to say, i was sold...just not at $25 for one. I put it on my list and put it off till it gets more reasonable, but the recent trip to Fresno mall reignited my interest. Found some vendors on ebay with a variety of style. Now Martin and I may even make our our NES Buckle. Yes Martin, I'd wear it outside the house. Sweeet.

These times a changing

Well, below was the recap and now looking forward.

a) need to redo site..constantly saying it..but yeah. Revamp.

b) need to do more of what i said i'm gonna do. refer to 1.

c) revamp goals. Most not working, but measure progress.

d) Counting calories. Been watching the weight..and watching it grow. I've been good about the no alcohol since Oct. Now starting to watch more of what i eat. Need to take a nutrition class.

e) Back to the gym with Eddie and Dre. Probably gonna switch gyms, but better parking and hopefully more classes.

f) After Xmas, realized even more that pretty much on my own to get things i want or done. The list was a cool idea, but i still tease myself with teh idea of that superman belt buckle, calvin and hobbes collectors set and what i was looking forward to especially was hopefully a bike. Anyways, I think i'm just gonna go out and get that bike. Least the physical activity will far outweigh the costs. (if i get good at it, i may try to bike to work).

g) work on house. Gonna use this weekend to get some much needed housework done. also gonna take down the tree.

h) Stop being a hermit. Besides a few occasional gatherings, been pretty much a homebody. Although i need to get stuff done there, I could better manage my time to be more outgoing.

i) Catch up with old friends. This year got random phone call from one of my students, a friend from UCR, as well as catching up with people from all over. I also realize that i dont' even email anyone anymore. Most of my email this past year has been convention related. Should change that.

ok..this is start. Just need to work on it.

2006

So the new year begins admist a number of resolutions and such. I can't say i've been much to make new year resolutions, but the goal of better-ing oneself shouldn't be done just in January. Anyways, the recap so far:

-New Years-
a) Celebrated New Years at MPK. Had an good/ok time with family and just enjoyed singing Karaoke Revolution most of the nite.

b) early morning ended rather bad with Garland getting into a car accident by some hit and run. Fortunately he's ok..and the car will be fixed.

-Christmas-
c) Got my robe and its soo soo soft. Yeah! also got some other stuff to be decided on later (Ross gc and RiteAid gc for mantha's gift). Went crazy shopping at Target when everything went 50% off. Got a fondue set, buffet set, and lots of electrical stuff for outside. As much as i felt i put some thought into having a gift match the recipient, i also saw how painful it can be to get a "thought-less" present. While the intention may be good, it could actually turn out to feel more hurtful. I guess the best gift i did get this christmas was peace of mind. I felt good about what i did and gave and that was enough for me. I hope no one was hurt by anything i gave them. (gift receipts for sure next year - I just want people to be happy).

-Since then-
d) Watched the USC/Texas Rose Bowl game. Terrific Game although i was rooting for USC. Vince Young did have a spectacular game.

e) Watched the Rose Parade "live" from my offices. Brought along Mom, Auntie Luz, Auntie Poyche, and Auntie Nita. Had some drama before it all happened at the office and wished that my dad and sister were there, but all is resolved now. It was a great experience, even for me who typically gets bored of the parade. Attribute that to the fact that whenever i watch it on TV, i seem to always catch it at the same points. Minus the pouring rain, the floats were cool up close. Expecting it to be even better next year.

f) Got B_tch-slapped by disneyland twice last week, trying to make it to the Nightmare before Christmas before they take it down. Jan 2 it closed early (due to the rain, although the calendar said closed at midnite). Jan 5 raced down there and actually got into the park in time to make it thru the gates, but only to be told by people inside that the park was closing for a private party. Ugg. Anyways, got to ride the Monster's Inc and Nightmare ride on Jan 7, before our road trip.

g) Road Trip - Headed up with Garland and Karen to the bread basket of California - Fresno. Garland still had stuff in his apt room up there, so Karen and I decided to help out and keep him company. It was a good trip consisting of 4+ hours of driving, 2 consecutive days of dim sum, in-road movies of Dogma, Road Trip, The New Guy and South Park Season 1. Brought down a lot of stuff and overall felt pretty good. Got some cool stuff shopping at Fashion Faire mall. Needing a wardrobe change.

h) Dim sum with Linnea. Happy Bday Nea. It was great seeing a number of old friends from UCLA (Diana, Quyen, Greg, Dave). They have always been a good crew of friends and hoping to catch up with them more.

i) Mila's bday at the house. Went to Shakeys cuz you gotta love those mojo potatoes.

wow..its only been a week into the new year. Looks like things are going well on the activity side.

The countdown begins...Happy New Year


Things have changed, or have they really.
Goodbye 2005, Hello 2006.

Have yourself a merry little Christmas,Let your heart be light
From now on, our troubles will be out of sight

Christmas is almost here. Yeah Christmas!

Its been quite busy at work and the joy (and tension) of the holidays are soon reaching its peak. As Karen wraps the final gifts in preparation for tonite, i find a few moments to just give a little update.

Since work seems to run my life, I'd have to start and say it has been very busy lately. Fortunately this season was been more fun thanks to an office gift exchange and potluck (i made japanese chicken curry. Yum).

Beyond work, been spending time with 344 with late nite cooking (musubi, curry) and hanging out in general. Lots of visits to the 24hour walmart..and our holiday shopping is almost complete.

More to talk about later..but for now, i share with some holiday photos...


The 344 Christmas Tree


Gifts under the tree. Is yours there?? =p


Karen's 344 ornament


Garland's 344 ornament


Ray's 344 ornament




Merry Christmas from the Happiest Place on Earth. Right here =)

*Intense*

Man, the past few days have been pretty intense. Just got back from the turn around trip to Vegas and it was well worth it. Got out of MPK around 2ish and my lil-engine-that-could (91 civic) may have done its last long distance ride. Together with Clara and Bren we embarked on the adventure to Mark's bday. We got there while the group was at dinner and just got ready for the nite. Fortunately, found the promoter passing out free passes to PURE, we chilled in the pussycat lounge till the festivities began. The music was great, one of the pussycats fell off the stage, DJ AM spun with the drummer from 182 doing bass accompanyment, running into old friends, and pretty much running into everyone in the club. It was fun hanging out with everyone again. After enought dancing and killing my throat (i was voiceless the next day), we headed back home (got back 6am). Fun times..and i stayed true to my no-alky policy. Still had lots of fun without it. Coming up Sat...Turducken.

In other news, i've become an ebay whore. I was in the process of buying an AC adapter and such from SONY at an outrageous $80, when i realize i could actually get it cheaper on ebay. So begins my fall.
I had purchased from ebay one time before...for raver lights for me and my sister. Beyond that, never really understood or trusted it (hence the hesitation). Thanks to help from my coworker May and Karen, i'm feeling a lot better about it now. Now i find myself searching for the most particular things. Anyways, got the charger and even a batter for just about $50 (plus garland's paypal coupon).

Feeling a bit better now. Voice coming back today and feeling more productive. Can't believe xmas is coming up so close.

*getting in the mood*

Looking at my watch looks like i've spent a couple hours doing "house" cleaning in my office. I have more important things for work i need to do, but find myself clearing out tons of old emails from my hotmail accounts and web surfing for the billionth time today. Oddly thats the way it is for me, wanting to put away/complete all the little things that distract me so i can tackle the bigger things on my plate. That and hopefully it will get me motivated to actually work. I believe in smart work, than over work =p. Explains some of the laziness as well.
Anyways, the 10 pages on hotmail are now down to 1 page. Desk is looking a little bit cleaner. I've made my xmas purchase list, but haven't checked it twice yet =p. Also started drafting things i may want, but its rather vague. If anything i'll update my wish list on the left panel. I've picked up a couple for people already but there are quite a bit more to go.
Lets see, this month....

a) Got the 344 Xmas tree is up. Took some pics setting it up, but will get more when we get more decorations.
b) Planning on doing a 1 day run to Vegas with Bren this weekend to celebrate Mark B's bday. Should be fun, just waiting to hear what time we'll be leaving. (Also Happy Bday Biggwould. Sorry to miss your SF bar crawl)
c) Turducken is Dec 10. Yummm.
d) Need to get some shopping in here somehow.


Other than that, I'm on disk 9 of Harry Potter - Order of the phoenix. I got a bit behind with Thanksgiving, but the mp3 player is charged up and ready to go. I have been lagging on the working out thought *sigh*.

I hate the cold, but i love sappy movies. Xmas time is just the right season for it.

*breath*

ok..so i did get to see Harry Potter and it was cool. Mike T came to the rescue and we got to see it opening day in Century City. Samantha said it best when she stated it was like watching the book in fast forward. I think i would have enjoyed it more if i didn't read the book, but i probably wouldn't have understood various parts of the movie. I just have to remember that the movies are the director's interpretation of the book...and since i've been hooked, i am gonna continue listening to the series. Effects were great, but i think i missed most of the suspense. Instead, it definately felt more like a british romantic comedy (Goblet was directed by the same guy who did 4 weddings and a funeral). IMDB trivia says they originally thought of having a 2 part movie, but was later convinced to fit it in one. *shakes head* Bad idea from the boring director of movie 3. (i fell asleep in that movie both times i tried to watch it, finally successful on the 3rd time).


Anyways..so.moving on.

Thought this week would be a cake walk, since there are only 3 days. Instead I've gotten sacked with work beyond belief. Add to that starting to feel a bit conjested. This is definately slowing me down, but things are moving quickly. Tomorrow is the turkey holiday and i've got 2 dinners i need to space myself out for. Ugg. Friday off will be nice, but not sure if/which black friday sale i may hit. Gotta start working on my shopping list as well as my wish list.

In other news though...



I went to the arclight theater in LA for the first time this morning. Karen really wanted to see RENT at the midnite performances and was able to get last minute tickets to the 12:10am performance. It was a 344 event as Garland came along to have his first RENT experience. I have to say this is definately the best movie i've seen in quite some time. I've seen the musical and it was a terrific performance...and this movie does a lot to transfer that to the screen. Most of the original cast was there and i can say i still felt the power of music much as i did during the live performance. This one is definately a must see.

oh well..work calls again...but hoping everyone has a happy thanksgiving holiday.

=(

darn moviefone.com online ticketing. Just missed the chance to watch HP at the Westwood theatre since i waited too long. Stupid thing said it was still selling tickets, but it just wouldn't process. Even coworker saw it yesterday at 7pm thru a promotion with our company i wasn't aware of. Ugg.

Honestly...i don't remember the last time i was so eager to see a movie. Weird.
Well..guess i'll try to see it this weekend.

WHAT???

You need an M class license to ride a Vespa???

Man..if i go that far, i may just go for a real motorcycle.

Cleaning up.


Well..first off..the house is clean =). The floors are not sticky anymore, the dishes washed, and everything looks back to normal...just cleaner.

Been busy since Halloween obviously...but for the most part things are well. Setting up my own personal "cleaning"...mind, body...and house.

As far as the house is concerned, likely getting another roommate for the 2nd room..so wanted to clear up that up a bit. Getting the computers and systems set up for the school was part of the process, so i did most of that this weekend (as well as haul it out to Bellflower thanks to Karen's Rodeo). Doing the same in my own room as far as utilizing the garage more to store stuff, and clear out the room.

As far as body and mind, I'll preface with the fact that probably the best parties in my life so far have happened this year: Birthday at Tokyo Delves and Halloween in the MPK. I had fun ...maybe a lil too much. From these events i woke without recollection of much of the nite. While fun at the time, I am honestly afraid of losing control (or my mind). Fortunately i was amongst friends and family who looked out and cared for me. Video tape and pictures were all i could use to piece back the events of those nites. Even watching the video tape was scary as i could see myself doing things i couldn't imagine myself doing. *shakes head* Now..i as much as anyone else is all for a good time, but yeah... after these events..i had to re-evaluate my actions.

Anyways, I decided after the Halloween party that i would try to go for a year without drinking alcohol. So far so good. I had to make a couple caveats for myself, so not sure how likely the year timeline will hold, but at least i'm making more of an effort not to overindulge and abuse myself. More likely to limit myself to 1 drink depending on the event. I've never "needed" alcohol to have fun before, so i'll just go back to that mentality.

Next thing i did was buy a weight scale for the bathroom. Boy...that was a painful idea. While still fairly lanky, I know I can do without this spare tire around my waist. Trying to read up more on nutrition as well as continuing on my workout. Actually thinking about buying a bike and using that to trek to work. I'd save me the monthly parking and probably provide a good daily work out. Just need to see if i can manage the road and 10miles.

Some changes at the school have forced me to re-evaluate my own financial status and personal stagnation. I really need to get back into study mode and keep myself up to date on various technologies. I learn enough to do my job and make it by, but i should start challenging myself again.

I've been listening to Harry Potter - Goblet of Fire for the past few weeks. This is going to be my test on how well i can appreciate the movie, since i've already read the book. Personally i like being surprised and am easily captured in the director and writers web on the silver screen. I'm guessing i'll probably still be happy with the end result, but not sure how satisfied. We'll have to see after HP comes out this week. (although my anxious self is already ripping book 5 to MP3).

anyways...i hope everyone is doing well. I realize how its been a while since i've been able to keep up with people. Hoping to do more of that as well. =)

ohh man.....

Pictures supposedly say a thousand words...and much of that was needed to remember what happened at the party. Needless to say the first party of the 344 MPK house elevated even big ed's expectations of what a party should be like. Bern quotes that she hasn't partied like that since college and yes folks..that is what it was like (beer bong and all). As i'm still piecing together aspects of the nite (shotty memory is not helped by excessive drinking), i'm still amazed at how well it went. Some points to highlight.

a) Amazing costumes: The wizard, Plug and socket, 80's rock stars, gangsters, baby, scarecrow, cartoon stars, sailors, pirates, cop and even michael jackson.

b) Food was great: although all i ate were 2 beef tacos, i hear everything else came and went fairly quickly. Terrific spam musubi care of Karen.

c) Environment/Spookyness: I walked outside sorta sober one point and thru the fog to see about 15 people. Some point later in the nite both garland and i swear we look outside and see this.

had to be like 60+ people at the party, inside and out. Course the evite count already freaked us out as we were coming closer to the day.

d) The people: I have to say i have been blessed with such great family and friends. All my cousins and family came out to participate (ranging from lil red riding hood, bonnie and clyde, disney fanatics, the ghost specter, and donald and daisy duck.) Coworkers, college friends, convention friends and people i have never met made for a great nite. I really have to thank my 344 crew (Garland and Karen) for keeping me sane in preparation, Ed and Dre my workout partners and party planners, Bren/Kelly/Dre/Karen as the cleanup crew the next day, and especially my evil twin Rico for making me lose my mind that nite. Damn Henessey. Till next year ;)..maybe